Nadine Ramsey, one of only 26 Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) to fly the Lockheed P-38 Lightning during World War II, was inducted posthumously into the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame on November 10 at WSU Tech’s National Center for Aviation Training.
The Wichita native was one of the first two women to fly mail for the postal service and mastered the P-38 Lightning, ferrying military aircraft across the country. Recognition for the WASP wartime service did not arrive until decades afterward.
Introducing her, Sheree Utash, president of Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology, said Ramsey refused to let convention define her future, and framed the induction around what the WASP opened up for the women who followed. “Aviation history isn’t just about remarkable aircraft; it’s about remarkable people with the courage to do what others believe impossible,” Utash said.
Ramsey’s niece and nephew accepted the award. Her nephew said he grew up idolizing her and listening to her stories, and described the honor as long overdue. Her story is told in the biography Taking Flight: The Nadine Ramsey Story and the 2026 documentary The WASPS: Taking Flight, both produced with family involvement.
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